


Shackles

by EllieMurasaki



Series: Take Me For What I Am [8]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Bechdel Test Pass, Community: 100_prompts, Episode: s01e08 Bugs, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-08-03
Updated: 2010-08-03
Packaged: 2017-10-10 22:23:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 372
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/105004
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EllieMurasaki/pseuds/EllieMurasaki
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There's a reason the curse didn't kill anyone that last night.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Shackles

**Author's Note:**

> Okay. I think I managed to make this not-faily. If I screwed up, tell me, _please_.
> 
> I couldn't find anything resembling a vocab list for the Yuchi language, never mind a baby-names list, so instead I'm working with the bug curse tribe being a group of Muskogee, which is also plausible. Can't find a baby-names list for them either, but I did find some [vocab](http://www.native-languages.org/muskogee_words.htm), and here's hoping 'moon' is or was a legitimate name for a Muskogee girl. native-languages.org transliterates 'moon' as 'Hvresse', [pronounced](http://www.native-languages.org/muskogee_guide.htm) h as in _h_ay, v as in c_u_p, r as in _Ll_ewe_ll_yn, e as in P_e_t_e_, ss as in dre_ss s_uit, but that makes my head hurt so I'm spelling it 'Hullesse' with due apologies; that site also transliterates 'sun' as 'Hvse', s as in dre_ss_ and e as in p_i_t, which I'm spelling 'Husi', again with apologies.

In her own form, Sofiel could have destroyed the insects with ease. Shackled to a human form, her power was...not limited, exactly, but human senses were narrower in scope; she could not perceive very many of the insects at once, and what she could not perceive she could not affect.

Besides. Orders were orders, and the order to take a vessel before attempting this task was of course a wise one; Sofiel was to speak to a human, who could not hear her true voice.

The spirit of the woman Hullesse was easy enough to find: she stood at the center of the swarm, watching the living humans, just beyond their perception. Her memories were an open book: fury at all pale-skinned humans sprung from mourning for the humans she loved, all of whom had the same dark skin as Hullesse. The order to ignore pale potential vessels in favor of those with dark skin was also wise. Sofiel shielded herself from the sight of the living humans and began a dance: one moment among them, touching them and driving the venom from their bodies, and one moment away from them, so that Hullesse must face away from them to look at her.

"Hullesse," Sofiel called. Hullesse whirled away from the living humans. "Your people are safe and happy," Sofiel said. "Your time is done."

"My people are _gone_."

"Yes," Sofiel said. "Look." A reaper had visited Hullesse at her death and been rejected, but the fact of the visit had opened the path Hullesse's spirit must travel to reach heaven. Sofiel stretched part of herself away from her vessel along that path, then sideways, and drew back an image of Hullesse's sister Husi, engrossed in a memory of watching the sunrise. "There is no need for vengeance," Sofiel continued, watching Hullesse watch Husi. "There is no one left alive who lived the day Husi died."

"My sister," Hullesse whispered. "Take me to her."

Sofiel glanced up, at the hole through which more bees were flying in, and let the image of Husi fade.

"The bees will leave at sunrise," Hullesse said. "My sister. _Please_."

"The path is open," Sofiel said, brightening the image. Hullesse threw herself forward and was gone.


End file.
